News

Nasrallah: 1000 salutes to the Libyan fighters that are standing and fighting across Libya

I urge everyone to watch Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech from March 19th, he speaks a lot about Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Lebanon and Palestine.  Nasrallah manages in an hour to discuss current events across the Arab world, succinctly, accurately and honestly.  While he usually uses tempered language to discuss Arab regimes, especially those that have consistently aligned themselves against Hezbollah and Shia in the Middle East he used this opportunity to let loose on Qadhafi and express his support and solidarity with the brave Libyan people that are fighting against this madman. 

I felt it was important to point out what he said and did not say about Libya in light of the conversation taking place on this website, I am paraphrasing:  These revolutions are not being instigated by Americans or Al Qaidah, they are popular uprisings that come from the people.  Any American talk about protecting the people in the region has no credibility because of American policy towards Palestinians which has always been one that protects Israelis by arming them and using their veto power to protect their settlements at the UNSC, therefore any such talk of American humanitarianism is a lie. Americans may be attempting to rehabilitate their image, make sure that oil does not get into the hands of loyal and nationalistic Libyans or they may be interfering so that they can control who the future leadership of Libya will be. Hezbollah will reconsider their position on Americans when Americans reconsider their unjust position on Palestine. He said that everyone in the entire world that can provide assistance to the Libyan people must do so. But that Libyans should also be aware of the motivations behind some of the people helping.  He reminds Libyans that the West gave enough time to the regime so that they could crush the uprising and had Qadhafi succeeded in crushing it that the whole world would have kept buying oil from Qadhafi. Perseverance of the Libyan people is what changed the equation.  Nasrallah did not deny the Libyans the right to accept help from whoever offers it, he merely warned them to be vigilant about the intentions of those that have stepped up to help them.  Nasrallah, like Azmi Bishara before him also told Egyptians that many Arabs are pinning their hopes on them and they should not let us down.

And more news from the Arab uprisings:

Developments
Libya declares new immediate ceasefire
TRIPOLI, March 20 (Reuters) – Libya declared a fresh ceasefire on Sunday after a day of bombardment from Western forces seeking to protect civilians from government troops. “The Libyan armed forces … have issued a command to all military units to safeguard an immediate ceasefire from 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) this evening,” a Libyan army spokesman said, according to an official interpreter.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-army-says-immediate-ceasefire-ordered

Western forces launch cruise missile at Gadhafi residence
An administration building was knocked down; Gadhafi’s whereabouts at the time of the blast remain unknown; about 300 Gadhafi supporters were in the compound when the missile hit, injuries have yet to be reported.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/western-forces-launch-cruise-missile-at-gadhafi-residence-1.350764?localLinksEnabled=false

Images: Damage in Bab Al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi’s heavily fortified Tripoli compound
Libyan army soldiers stand on a building, destroyed in what the government said was a western missile attack, inside Bab Al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi’s heavily fortified Tripoli compound March 21, 2011. Western forces pounded Libya’s air defences and patrolled its skies on Sunday, but their day-old intervention hit a serious diplomatic setback as the Arab League chief condemned the “bombardment of civilians” -Reuters
http://feb17.info/images/images-damage-in-bab-al-aziziyah-gaddafis-heavily-fortified-tripoli-compound/

BREAKING: Almanara Media confirms from trusted sources that Khamis Al Gaddafi is dead
Almanara Media is confirming from trusted sources that Khamis Al Gaddafi has passed away on Sunday due to severe burn injuries he sustained a few days ago. The burns were caused when a fighter jet pilot performed a martyr mission and crashed his fighter jet into Gaddafi’s compound Baab Al Aziziyah. IMPORTANT: We are only citing Almanara Media for this news. We have not confirmed it via any other source.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/march-21-updates/

Libya rebels: Gadhafi using human shields against West’s strikes
Rebel spokesman says seven people killed in Misrata fighting on Monday; Gadhafi calls for march through Benghazi after allies target his residential compound in Tripoli.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/libya-rebels-gadhafi-using-human-shields-against-west-s-strikes-1.350885?localLinksEnabled=false

Remains of loyalist forces smolder near Benghazi
BENGHAZI-AJDABIYA ROAD, Libya: Moammar Gadhafi’s wrecked tanks and other army vehicles smoldered on a strategic road in eastern Libya Sunday after Western powers launched airstrikes that galvanized embattled rebels.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126245

Fresh explosions rock Libyan capital
US says operation “effective” in degrading Gaddafi air defences as international forces launch second night of attacks.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011320202616794816.html

Libyans offer new graves as proof of civilian dead
At an event for escorted foreign reporters, pro-government Libyans raged against western warplanes and missiles they said had spewed death over the Libyan capital at the weekend. The mourners themselves spoke in quieter tones and the conflicting accounts they gave for the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones made it difficult to assess the veracity of the official version. As a cleric fired up people who said they were mourners at the cemetery and plainclothes security men defiantly fired assault rifles into the air, the uncle of a three-month-old girl stood over her freshly dug grave, covered with a few roses. The uncle, Muhammad Salim, who seemed calm, said the airstrike that hit the girl’s house also wounded her mother. Her father offered a different account, saying no one was injured.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyans-offer-new-graves-as-proof-of-civilian-dead

Truth about Tripoli: Eyewitness report
I have just managed to get my family out of Tripoli alive. We were in fear all the time. This is what the so called “King of Kings” has done to the free people of Libya in Tripoli.
http://feb17.info/general/truth-about-tripoli-eyewitness-report/

Stalemate warning as Gaddafi defiant
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have been hit in airstrikes. But the Libyan leader remains defiant, calling the attacks a “cold war” on Islam. And the top military officer in the US has warned of a “stalemate” situation, with Gaddafi remaining in power, despite the creation of a no-fly zone. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIwzLqdXb2k&feature=youtube_gdata

Witness phones from Misurata
As Gaddafi’s tanks roll into the rebel-held city of Misurata on Sunday, there are reports of many injuries amid fierce street fighting. Mohamed, a member of the city’s civil community, speaks to Al Jazeera by phone, and describes what has happened in his city over the past day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkwTcioh-uU&feature=player_embedded

Gaddafi’s tanks reach centre of Misrata:residents
ALGIERS, March 20 (Reuters) – Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have entered the centre of the rebel-held city of Misrata with tanks, and several people have been killed by gunfire, residents said on Sunday. “Two people were killed so far today by snipers. They (snipers) are still on the rooftops. They are backed with four tanks, which have been patrolling the town. It’s getting very difficult for people to come out,” one resident, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/pro-gaddafi-forces-enter-centre-of-rebel-held-city-of-misrata-wi

Benghazi under attack
The Libyan opposition stronghold of Benghazi has been on edge for days. Rebels say the city has come under constant attack by pro-Gaddafi forces over the last 24 hours. Libya’s government announced an immediate ceasefire on Friday, but government forces were said to have entered the western edge of the city on Saturday. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0CW040PQII&feature=youtube_gdata

Gaddafi forces approach Benghazi
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, have hit the opposition stronghold of Benghazi with mortar and artillery shells, though fighters in the city say they have pushed the assault back. A warplane flown by what is believed to be an opposition pilot was shot down during the fighting, and opposition fighters say they have captured several tanks from Gaddafi loyalists. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nUrxp74Hgg&feature=youtube_gdata

Libya to give weapons to 1 mln people:state media
ALGIERS, March 20 (Reuters) – Libya’s government has begun distributing arms to more than one million people and will complete the operation within hours, the state news agency reported on Sunday. Jana news agency quoted sources in Libya’s defence ministry as saying they “expected the operation to end in the next hours to arm more than a million men and women.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-government-will-distribute-weapons-to-more-than-1-million

Gaddafi denounces foreign intervention
Libyan leader says air raids amount to terrorism and vows to “equip people against aggressors”.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/03/201132094116102192.html

Tripoli eyewitness
Bodies, disappearances and the ‘men’ of Benghazi
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12803282

Ali Treki In Tunisia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LiXHPNTa2E&feature=player_embedded

Libya Fight Photos 3
http://cryptome.org/info/libya-fight/libya-fight-03.htm

Rejoicing in Libya’s Benghazi
Pro-democracy fighters have been celebrating in the second Libyan city of Benghazi after French jets demolished Muammar Gaddafi’s heavy armour that was heading their way. Al Jazeera’s James Bays visited the site of the attack to file this report.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2HLKemsOP4&feature=youtube_gdata

Western Intervention
Pentagon: ‘We are not going after Gaddafi’
CNN’s Nic Robertson, reporting from Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli, has a piece of a missile that appears to have hit the four-story building. The labeling on the debris is in English, and it could be a piece of a cruise missile of the type U.S. and British forces have been launching since Saturday afternoon.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/20/pentagon-we-are-not-going-after-gaddafi/

America gives the orders as French jets enforce no-fly zone
The Americans were spearheading military operations against the Gaddafi regime in Libya yesterday despite days of insisting they were playing a support role.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/america-gives-the-orders-as-french-jets-enforce-nofly-zone-2247754.html

International forces bombard targets in Libya
Coalition forces launch Libya assault, which Gaddafi calls “colonial, Crusader” aggression.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/03/201132002236603156.html

West pounds Libya, Gaddafi vows long war
TRIPOLI – US, British and French forces have hammered Libya from the air and sea, prompting leader Moamer Kadhafi to warn on Sunday of a long war in the Mediterranean “battlefield”. The US military said the first stage of coalition raids under a UN Security Council remit to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya had been “successful” and Kadhafi’s offensive on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi stopped in its tracks. In Benghazi itself, medics and AFP correspondents said at least 94 people had died in an assault launched on Friday on the Mediterranean city by forces loyal to Kadhafi before the coalition onslaught.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/20/west-pounds-libya-gaddafi-vows-long-war/

U.S. says no-fly zone in place, Gaddafi forces halted
WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – U.S. and allied forces have effectively established a no-fly zone over Libya and halted an offensive by Muammar Gaddafi against rebels in Benghazi, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program that the U.S.-led air strikes that began Saturday “took out” Gaddafi’s air defenses, struck air fields and attacked Libyan ground forces near the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-no-fly-zone-effectively-in-place-over-libya

US military says planes struck Gaddafi ground forces
WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – U.S. fighter planes backed by electronic warfare aircraft carried out air strikes early on Sunday on Muammar Gaddafi’s ground troops and air defenses in Libya, the Pentagon said in a statement. “U.S. Navy Growlers provided electronic warfare support over Libya while AV-8B Harriers from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted strikes against (Gaddafi’s) ground forces and air defenses,” the military said in a statement.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-military-says-us-fighter-jets-launched-air-strikes-on-gaddafi

Three US submarines ready for Libya action – official
WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy has three submarines outfitted with Tomahawk missiles in the Mediterranean prepared to participate in operations against Libya, a U.S. defense official said on Saturday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three submarines, including attack submarines Newport News and the Providence, were joined by two Navy ships. The submarines were equipped with Tomahawk missiles that can cripple aircraft or anti-aircraft defenses in a no-fly operation, the official said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-navy-has-three-submarines-in-mediterranean-preparing-for-oper

U.S. army chief: Gadhafi needs to ‘make decisions’ on his future
Speaking with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Admiral Mike Mullen claims goal of international missile strike of Libyan army was not to oust the Libyan leader.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-army-chief-gadhafi-needs-to-make-decisions-on-his-future-1.350547?localLinksEnabled=false

Bombing campaign in Libya targets Kadafi’s air, ground forces
The U.S. and its allies expand their strikes to include ground forces that threaten civilians or are able to target planes that are enforcing the no-fly zone. New rounds of anti-aircraft fire erupt over Tripoli. U.S., French and British forces blasted Libyan air defenses and ground forces, drawing intense volleys of tracer and anti-aircraft fire over Tripoli on Sunday at the start of a campaign that will severely test Moammar Kadafi’s powers of survival.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/1anAEDicjx0/la-fg-libya-fighting-20110321,0,1357972.story

Mike Mullen: Gaddafi Could Cling To Power In Libya
(AP) WASHINGTON — The U.S.-led international military assault on Libya could achieve its stated goals without forcing Moammar Gaddafi from power, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday as the bombing campaign continued. After a barrage of attacks by sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles Saturday, an array of U.S. warplanes – including several Air force B-2 stealth bombers – followed in the pre-dawn hours Sunday with a coordinated assault using precision-guided bombs, according to a U.S. military official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military missions, said the planes included Air Force F-15s and F-16s, Navy EA-18G electronic warfare planes and Marine attack jets.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/20/mike-mullen-gaddafi-could_n_838088.html

US briefs journalists on Libya operation
US Vice Admiral William Gortney, the director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, briefed journalists on the first phase of the UN-backed international military operations against forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vll2SZ5iMWA&feature=youtube_gdata

France sends carrier to Libya, conducts more flights
PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) – France sent an aircraft carrier towards Libya on Sunday and its warplanes carried out further operations over the north African country, armed forces and defence officials said. The Charles de Gaulle carrier, the flagship of the French fleet, left the southern port of Toulon at around 1200 GMT, carrying around 1,800 crew members and some 20 aircraft.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/france-sends-carrier-to-libya-more-flights

How French jets saved Libya’s rebels at the last minute
International airstrikes led first by France devastated an armored column loyal to Muammar Qaddafi overnight – saving the rebellion with little time to spare.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/yfAjW_ceiPc/How-French-jets-saved-Libya-s-rebels-at-the-last-minute

Italy says ready to take part in Libya operations
ROME, March 20 (Reuters) – Italian aircraft are ready to join operations against Libya from Sunday, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said. Speaking on state broadcaster RAI, La Russa said eight Italian jets had been assigned to the coalition command and would be ready to take part in operations immediately. “We want to participate as equals in the operation,” he said. He also said Italy was ready to take action over an Italian tugboat detained in Libya.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/italy-says-ready-to-take-part-in-libya-operations

UK Government refuses publicly to rule out ground troops in Libya
The UK government’s Chancellor has pointedly refused publicly to rule out British ground troops being sent in – despite the clear position of UN Security Resolution 1973 to the contrary.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14369

Minister denies Germany isolated over Libya
BERLIN, March 20 (Reuter) – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle dismissed allegations on Sunday that Berlin was internationally isolated after refusing to join its NATO allies in staging military strikes on Libya. Germany abstained on Thursday in the U.N. Security Council vote authorising the use of force, breaking ranks with the United States, France and Britain, and joining China and Russia.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/minister-denies-germany-isolated-over-libya

Arab & Turkish Intervention/Reactions
Two Arab states officially join Libya action as U.K. downplays Arab League criticism
Qatar, United Arab Emirates join international military action to enforce no-fly zone over Libya; Qatar due to send four jets; Britain’s Hague says Arab League still supports allies’ intervention in Libya.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/two-arab-states-officially-join-libya-action-as-u-k-downplays-arab-league-criticism-1.350877?localLinksEnabled=false

Arab warplanes taking part in Libya mission
Four Qatari warplanes were deployed in Libyan skies on Sunday, the French defense ministry said, as other Arab warplanes were moving to positions near Libya to participate in the Western military operation that has effectively established a no-fly zone. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/20/142258.html

Qatar planes taking positions near Libya – Mullen
WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – The top U.S. military officer on Sunday said aircraft from Qatar were moving into position near Libya to participate in the Western military operation that has effectively established a no-fly zone. “There are forces, airplanes in particular from Qatar, that are moving into position as we speak, into theater. There are other countries who have committed, although I’d rather have them publicly announce that commitment,” he said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” program.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/qatar-planes-taking-positions-near-libya-mullen

Qatari planes to Libya
Aljazeera is reporting with a measure of pride that Qatari military planes are heading toward Libya.  Of course, no plane can leave Qatari air base without prior permission from US commanders.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/qatari-planes-to-libya.html

Egypt stays out of Libya war for security reasons
CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) – Egypt decided against taking part in military action against neighbouring Libya for reasons linked to internal security and the fact that so many Egyptians live there, the foreign minister said on Sunday. Nabil Elaraby said Egypt, whose uprising against Hosni Mubarak helped ignite the Libya revolt, had for humanitarian reasons supported an Arab League resolution calling on the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypt-stays-out-of-libya-war-for-security-reasons

Arab League chief: We respect UN resolution on Libya military action
Amr Moussa reiterates support for international enforcement of no-fly zone over Libya despite earlier comments suggesting concern by actions taken by Western powers.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/arab-league-chief-we-respect-un-resolution-on-libya-military-action-1.350888?localLinksEnabled=false

Arab League now worried about Qaddafi retaliation after supporting Libya no-fly zone
Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa is now questioning whether US and European military action against Libya has gone too far.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0320/Arab-League-now-worried-about-

Arab League head says wanted no-fly zone, not bombs
CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) – The Arab League chief said on Sunday that Arabs did not want military strikes by Western powers that hit civilians when the League called for a no-fly zone over Libya. In comments carried by Egypt’s official state news agency, Secretary-General Amr Moussa also said he was calling for an emergency Arab League meeting to discuss the situation in the Arab world and particularly Libya.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/arab-league-head-says-wanted-no-fly-zone-not-bombs

Arab League criticizes Western strikes on Libya
CAIRO – The Arab League on Sunday criticized Western military strikes on Libya, a week after urging the United Nations to slap a no-fly zone on the oil-rich North African state. “What has happened in Libya differs from the goal of imposing a no-fly zone and what we want is the protection of civilians and not bombing other civilians,” Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa told reporters.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/20/arab-league-criticizes-western-strikes-on-libya/

Coalition under strain as Arab League attacks ‘bombing of civilians’
The first potential crack in the broad coalition behind the Western-led military onslaught on Muammar Gaddafi’s air defences opened up yesterday when Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, condemned what he called “the bombardment of civilians”.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/coalition-under-strain-as-arab-league-attacks-bombing-of-civilians-2247752.html

Obama spoke with Jordan’s Abdullah about Libya
RIO DE JANEIRO, March 20 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Sunday and the two agreed on the need for a broad coalition taking action against Libya, a top Obama aide said. White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon told reporters about the telephone call during a briefing in Brazil, where Obama was traveling.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/white-house-obama-spoke-with-jordanian-leader-on-sunday-agreed

Turkey: We will take ‘appropriate’ role in imposing Libya no-fly zone
Official statement comes despite recent calls by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an immediate ceasefire in Libya.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/turkey-we-will-take-appropriate-role-in-imposing-libya-no-fly-zone-1.350446?localLinksEnabled=false

Turkish PM urges Gaddafi to step down, end bloodshed
JEDDAH, March 20 (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged Muammar Gaddafi to give up power and called for an immediate end to the violence.  Gaddafi has no official government position but is known as the “Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution”.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/turkish-pm-urges-gaddafi-to-step-down-end-bloodshed

Anti-Intervention
Noam Chomsky warns against intervention in Libya
The linguist and philosopher Professor Noam Chomsky talks to Jeremy Paxman about the likely consequences of the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and the prospects for any western intervention. He also gives his interpretation of the Obama administration’s foreign policy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V61NAS0Fi38&feature=player_embedded

Venezuela’s Chavez denounces military action in Libya
CARACAS, March 19 (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday that military action in Libya by the West’s “men of war” is aimed at seizing the North African country’s oil reserves.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/venezuelas-chavez-denounces-military-action-in-libya

China intensifies condemnation of Libya air strikes
BEIJING, March 21 (Reuters) – China’s top newspaper on Monday stepped up Beijing’s opposition to Western air attacks on Libya, accusing countries backing the strikes of violating international rules and risking fresh turmoil in the Middle East. China’s strongest condemnation yet of Western air assaults on the forces of Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi appeared in the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, and it showed how the military conflict could become a fresh front of contention between Beijing and Washington.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/china-intensifies-condemnation-of-libya-air-strikes

Russia calls for halt to Libya attack
“The reports say that during air raids on Libya strikes were also delivered on non-military facilities. … As a result, 48 civilians are reported dead and over 150 wounded,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/20/Russia-calls-for-halt-to-Libya-attack/UPI-75211300649571/

Qaeda Maghreb leader slams Libya intervention
Leader of al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, delivered on Saturday an online speech calling upon Libyans to fight foreign intervention in their country and to crush the “new crusades.” “Beware the suspicious actions of the United States and its allies.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/21/142403.html

Press TV, “Iran on Libya War: Libyans Must Prevent Foreign Powers from Controlling Their Country”
Iran has called on the Libyan nation to prevent foreign countries from taking control of their country. Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said a review of what some domineering foreign countries have done in the past reveals the true intentions for attacking Libya. He said those countries seemingly advocate human rights but are in fact looking to secure their own interests and gain control of other nations. Mehmanparast accused some Western powers of seeking a modern form of colonization through expanding their military bases on foreign territory.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/iran200311.html

Communist Party of India (Marxist), “Libya: Stop the Aggression”
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the aerial bombardment by aircrafts and ship-based missiles on Libya by the Nato forces. The military strikes by the Nato forces comprising France, Britain and the United States are a dangerous act of aggression. The Nato is now repeating what it did in Iraq, which led to deaths of millions of people and large scale destruction. Already forty eight people are reported dead in the attacks on the first day. . . . The Security Council resolution on Libya has been utilized by the Nato for this attack. The five members of the Security Council, which includes India, who abstained on the resolution should immediately demand a review of the resolution. Till then there has to be a halt to the military action by Nato. The CPI(M) calls upon all the democratic and progressive forces in India to strongly protest yet another military aggression by America and its allies on an Arab-African country.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/india200311.html

Media & Repression/Suppression
NY Times journalists at Turkish embassy in Libya
ANKARA, March 21 (Reuters) – Four New York Times journalists captured by Libyan forces while covering the conflict there are at the Turkish embassy in Tripoli and will be sent home within hours, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ny-times-journalists-at-turkish-embassy-in-libya

Three journalists missing in Libya – AFP
NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) – Three journalists, including two working for Agence France-Presse, have gone missing while covering the fighting in Libya, the news agency said on Sunday. In a statement AFP said Dave Clark, a reporter based at its Paris headquarters, and Roberto Schmidt, a photographer in its Nairobi bureau, had not been heard from since they sent an email to senior editors on Friday evening.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/three-journalists-missing-in-libya-afp

Al Jazeera team held in Libya
Muammar Gaddafi’s security forces have arrested four Al Jazeera Arabic journalists and are holding them in Tripoli.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/201132082949535527.html

Libyan Journalist Mohammed al-Nabbous Killed; Al-Jazeera Crew Arrested
BENGHAZI, Libya — A Libyan journalist who ran a webcast program showing the aftermath of government attacks and commentary on the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi was killed in Saturday’s government assault on the rebel capital in the country’s east. Mohammed al-Nabbous, who founded a livestream channel called Libya Al-Hurra, or Free Libya, was hit by sniper fire as Gadhafi sent warplanes, tanks and troops into Benghazi, the first city to fall to the rebellion that began Feb. 15, friends said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/19/libyan-journalist-killed-al-jazeera-arrested_n_838041.html

Mo, Issandr El Amrani
Although I watched some of his dispatches, I did not have the close relationship with Mohammed Nabbous that someone like Andy Carvin, the NPR strategist who has been tweeting the heck out of the Libyan uprising, had. The audio segment below shows his wife telling his followers that he’s died. It’s heartbreaking, but illustrative of the amazing role individuals like Mo are playing in trying to create a better future for their country. This generation of young Arabs, from Morocco to Bahrain, is a transformative force on the regional scene. This is only the beginning, but I’m hopeful that millions of Mo will each play their small part in transforming this region into a better place.
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/3/19/mo.html

Introducing Nafissa Assed
Our correspondent in Tripoli, who’s been sending us such stirring and terriying reports, is now safe in Morocco. She is finally able to renounce her anonymity. She wants me to tell you her name in capital letters, NAFISSA ASSED, daughter of a martyr, proud Libyan citizen. Read her self-description after the break.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/03/20/introducing-nafissa-assed/

Other News
Palestinians in Libya leave for Gaza
NABLUS (Ma’an) — Thirty-four Palestinians waiting at the Libya border for permission to travel to Cairo and return to the Gaza Strip were granted travel visas Sunday, an official said. Though directives were given to issue the visas one week earlier, Palestinians in Libya remained stranded at the border for days.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370676

Analysis/Op-ed
Outrage, hints of dissent inside Gaddafi’s stronghold
TRIPOLI, March 20 (Reuters) – Allied air strikes may have galvanised Muammar Gaddafi’s campaign against Western “terrorists” and “colonialists”, but deep within his Tripoli stronghold muted murmurs of dissent persist. Tripoli is the heart of Gaddafi’s military empire, and the ubiquitous chant of his supporters — “Allah, Muammar, Libya” — has echoed around the city with renewed vigour since Western forces went into action over Libya this weekend.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/outrage-hints-of-dissent-inside-gaddafis-stronghold

‘We needed foreign help – but now Libyans must end all this in Tripoli’
The bodies lay strewn, dismembered and burnt. Some of the faces expressed the horrors of the last moments, others lay peaceful, in repose. Around them were the remains of the tanks and artillery of Muammar Gaddafi’s army, destroyed in an hour of pulverising and relentless air strikes.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/we-needed-foreign-help-ndash-but-now-libyans-must-end-all-this-in-tripoli-2247751.html

Military assets in battle for Libya
As the attack on Libya begins, Al Jazeera takes a look at the type of weapons being used in what is being called ‘Operation Odyssey Dawn’. France has deployed 20 warplanes, including Mirage and Rafale jet fighters and air carriers. The United States has three submarines and two guided missile destroyers and two amphibious warships. More than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles have already been fired by a joint British-US operation. Denmark has deployed six F16 fighter jets. And Canada a further six F-18 hornet jets. Britain has stationed Tornado jets and Typhoons close to Libya. Al Jazeera’s Gerald Tan shows where the weaponry has been strategically located.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFbsQcIVQL8&feature=youtube_gdata

Moammar Kadafi’s thinning human shield
‘We never get scared,’ says one of the supporters in Tripoli speaking of allegiance to Libya’s leader in the face of international threats. And then the rumors start. It was to be a human shield, a massive gathering of Moammar Kadafi’s supporters at his Bab Azizia compound, and the Libyan leader was to give a late-night speech of defiance against the international forces arrayed against him.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/ku7z-P8b26g/la-fg-libya-kadafi-20110320,0,3713774.story

Libya intervention comes too late for some
Opposition forces in Benghazi say 30 people were killed and many more wounded when troops loyal to longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi attacked the western outskirts of the rebel stronghold in the hours after the UN Security Council approved military action against him. Residents of the city expressed anger with the international community, saying it had acted too slowly to prevent one final assault from Gaddafi. But opposition fighters more than held their own, driving back the loyalist troops – some of whom may have remained in Benghazi all along as “sleeper cells” – and capturing at least two tanks. Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwMn-3lhCf0&feature=youtube_gdata

How the No Fly Zone Can Succeed, Juan Cole
The United Nations no-fly zone over Libya is risky but it can have a good outcome under certain conditions. Above all, it should look more like Kosovo than like Iraq.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/how-the-no-fly-zone-can-succeed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

Infantile Leftism, Robin Yassin-Kassab
It certainly feels uncomfortable to watch American, British and French planes enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, bombing Libya’s anti-aircraft defences and destroying Libyan tanks. Certainly the hypocrisy of the West and the Arab dictators is as galling as ever.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/03/20/infantile-leftism/

Tripolitanian Abnormality, Robin Yassin-Kassab
Our Tripolitanian witness is alive and well in an Arab country beyond Libya’s borders. Free to use the internet again, she has sent some old reports. The first is from early March. Today I went out in my area, Ben Ashour, and all the shops were still closed in the main street.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/03/20/31519/

A Tribe Called Libya, Robin Yassin-Kassab
Our Tripolitanian witness is alive and well in an Arab country beyond Libya’s borders. Free to use the internet again, she has sent some old reports. This one is from March 7th. Today is the 7th March 2011, one of the most horrible days that Libya has witnessed since the ‘Greatest Libyan Revolution’ began.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/03/20/a-tribe-called-libya/

Gaddafi is the regime
Charles Glass has an excellent post on the London Review Blog, worth reproducing in full: The Libyan dictator is resisting the popular forces ranged against him in ways that his counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt did not. In Tunis and Cairo, Zine Abedine Ben-Ali and Hosni Mubarak were the faces of military regimes.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/03/20/gaddafi-is-the-regime/

Gaddafi’s Secret Killing Fields
Ajdabiya, the eastern town and opposition stronghold, gets bombed during the night. Well, a shell lands in the town. Not much damage, but lots of fear. Everybody knows there is worse to come. And that’s just how Gaddafi likes it: raw terror. Here’s a man who has no respect for his people, a man who bombs them from the air with former Soviet Union supplied fighter jets. With his ego larger than the African continent, one is dealing with a modern-day Pharaoh. Forget about Islam, the Third Universal Theory or the Green Book. Gaddafi is all about himself. He is his own wrathful god. Gaddafi is god. Traitors are those misguided ones who do not worship at his feet.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16733

War on Gaddafi is personal – and he is unlikely to retreat, Simon Tisdall
Capturing or killing the Libyan leader has now become an end in itself for the western allies. It’s unlikely Muammar Gaddafi has watched the 1971 British film Get Carter, in which Michael Caine plays vengeful London gangster Jack Carter, who embarks on a violent rampage before being killed. But as the west’s military might bears down on Libya, the Libyan leader might find the story line instructive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/20/libya-conflict-gaddafi-fight-to-death

Robert Fisk: Remember the civilian victims of past ‘Allied’ bombing campaigns
How life past catches up with life present. The Americans killed Raafat al-Ghosain, puctured above, just after 2am on 15 April 1986. In the days that followed her death, United States officials claimed that Libyan anti-aircraft fire might have hit her home – watch out for similar American claims in the coming hours – not far from the French embassy in suburban Tripoli.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-remember-the-civilian-victims-of-past-allied-bombing-campaigns-2247757.html

Yemen
Yemen Live Blog – March 21
As the uprising in Yemen continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.
http://english.aljazeera.net/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/yemen-live-blog-march-21

Yemeni general backs opposition
A powerful general close to President Ali Abdullah Saleh says he is joining anti-government protests as 20 people are reported killed in violence in the north.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12804552

3 high military commanders join Yemen’s opposition
One is a major general with family ties to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He blames the government for dozens of civilian deaths. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ruling coalition continued to crumble Monday as three top military commanders joined the opposition.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/BtEQ-g_jims/la-fg-yemen-resignations-20110322,0,2736496.story

Tanks deploy in Yemen as top army general defects
Three army commanders, including a top general, defected today to the opposition calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down as army tanks and armoured vehicles deployed in the streets of the Yemeni capital.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tanks-deploy-in-yemen-as-top-army-general-defects-2248347.html

Yemen ambassador to Saudi Arabia sides with protesters
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – Mohammed al-Ahwal, Yemen’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has sided with protesters demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to a report on Al Arabiya television on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he was leaving his post or resigning. Earlier on Monday, the Yemeni ambassador to Syria resigned from his post as well as from Saleh’s ruling party as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against this three decades-long rule.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-ambassador-to-saudi-arabia-sides-with-protesters

Yemen president fires cabinet
State media says embattled leader sacks his cabinet after weeks of pro-democracy protests demanding his resignation.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011320180579476.html

Yemen’s UN envoy resigns over killings
Diplomat quits in protest against the killing of 52 demonstrators, while president Saleh’s tribe urges him to step down.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011320123433298971.html

Major Yemen tribe urges Saleh to step down
Leader of Hashed asks president to concede to people’s demands as funerals are held for dead protesters.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/201132093857646830.html

TIMELINE-Saleh’s 32-year rule in Yemen
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/timeline-salehs-32-year-rule-in-yemen

Bahrain
Bahraini protester found dead after govt crackdown
MANAMA, March 21 (Reuters) – A Bahraini protester has been found dead after he went missing for days following a crackdown by security forces on mainly Shi’ite Muslim demonstrators last week, a member of an opposition group said on Monday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahraini-protester-found-dead-after-govt-crackdown

Bahraini dies in police detention – opposition
MANAMA, March 20 (Reuters) – A man detained by police two days ago has died, a statement from Bahrain’s leading Shi’ite Muslim opposition party said on Sunday. “We were recently informed of the death of Abdulrusul Hassan Ali Hajair from Buri village after he was abducted by security forces and the army from Wafiq market on March 18,” the Wefaq statement said. “His family was just told to pick up his body from the Salmaniya hospital.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahraini-dies-in-police-detention-opposition

Bahrain: Armed Thugs Intimidate Protesters, Journalists (Time.com)
Time.com – The opposition accuses the government of hiring civilian thugs to intimidate protesters and foreign journalists. The government dismisses the charges
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110321/wl_time/08599206046300

Bahrain: New Arrests Target Doctors, Rights Activists
(Manama) – Bahrain should end its campaign of arrests of doctors and human rights activists, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 19-20, 2011, state security forces, often masked and in civilian dress, arrested four medical doctors, and two human rights activists, and sought the arrest of a third. Human Rights Watch also remains concerned about the whereabouts of those doctors and rights advocates still in detention. The arrests, some of which occurred during pre-dawn hours, appear part of a broader government crackdown involving nighttime raids on the homes of those viewed as supporting pro-democracy protesters, Human Rights Watch said.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/20/bahrain-new-arrests-target-doctors-rights-activists

Bahrain medics claim army cover-up
Bahraini authorities have been accused of heavy-handedness in handling pro-democracy protesters. According to medics at Salmania hospital in the capital Manama, the security forces surrounded the hospital and disallowed people, including health workers and ambulance staff, to enter or leave the facility. The hospital staff have told Al Jazeera that doctors and nurses were beaten up and that many doctors were still under arrest. Many patients were allegedly also attacked by the military. Our special correspondent has this report from Manama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf9AOnaQSaE&feature=youtube_gdata

Bahrain doctors, casualties caught up in crackdown
MANAMA, March 21 (Reuters) – Some doctors at Bahrain’s busiest hospital say they are too scared to return to work for fear of being arrested or harassed after treating wounded protesters during weeks of unrest in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Bahraini security forces raided Salmaniya hospital on Wednesday, the day they launched a crackdown that drove mainly Shi’ite Muslim protesters off the streets, and removed a handful of tents that opposition activists had set up in the car park.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahrain-doctors-casualties-caught-up-in-crackdown

Bahrain hospital on frontline in protest crackdown
It was just after midnight when armed men in military uniforms came to the hospital bed of Ali Mansour Abdel-Karim Nasser, who was injured by pellets fired during a clash with riot police. He said what came next was worse: he was bound, beaten and mocked in the hallway of Bahrain’s main state-run hospital.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bahrain-hospital-on-frontline-in-protest-crackdown-2247409.html

Bahraini medics recount hospital horror
The Bahraini authorities have been accused of heavy-handed approach in handling with Shia Muslim protesters. According to medics at Salmania hospital in Manama, the security forces surrounded the hospital and did not allow ambulances to enter. The hospital staff have told Al Jazeera doctors and nurses were beaten up and many doctors are still under arrest. Our special correspondent has this report.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pr6rbhv80c&feature=youtube_gdata

Bahrain opposition seeks UN, US help in crackdown (AP)
AP – Bahrain’s opposition asked for U.N. and American intervention in the government crackdown on the Shiite protests trying to loosen the monarchy’s grip, in a brief protest Sunday in the capital that disbanded before police could arrive to break it up.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_protests

Bahrain ‘regrets’ opposition rebuff of talks (AFP)
AFP – Bahrain’s government on Sunday regretted the “negative” response by opposition groups to an offer of dialogue aimed at ending a pro-democracy protest which police quelled this week.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_mideast_afp/bahrainpoliticsunrest

Kuwaiti MPs to quiz premier over Bahrain troops (AFP)
AFP – Kuwaiti Islamist MPs have decided to file to question the prime minister in parliament for not sending troops to Bahrain.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_mideast_afp/kuwaitpoliticsbahrainiran

Bahrain condemns Nasrallah’s remarks
BEIRUT: The Bahraini Foreign Ministry condemned Sunday Hezbollah’s criticism of its government, describing it as an intervention in the Gulf country’s internal affairs which threatened Lebanese-Bahraini bilateral ties.
A statement released by the ministry said Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s verbal “assault against Bahrain and its people” was aimed.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=126252

Iran expels Bahrain diplomat in tit-for-tat move (AFP)
AFP – Iran on Sunday asked a Bahraini diplomat to leave the country in reprisal for the expulsion of one of the Islamic republic’s diplomats from Manama, the official IRNA news agency reported.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_mideast_afp/iranbahrainpoliticsexpel

Jordan’s parliament rejects interference in Bahrain
AMMAN, March 20 (Xinhua) — Jordan’s Lower House said on Sunday it was following up developments in Bahrain with deep concern and anxiety, rejecting any illegal interference in the Gulf country’s affairs. The house of deputies, in a statement stressed that any interference will worsen the situation and affect stability and peace in the country, saying Bahrain is capable of running its own internal affairs. The lower house, in the statement expressed hope the situation will be back to normal and stability be restored in Bahrain. “We call on our brotherly Bahrainis to place the national interests on top of priorities and resort to dialogue,” the statement said. It urged all segments in the Bahraini community to work to bring the country out of the current situation.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/21/c_13789113.htm

Disgusting Sectarianism:  Foreign plot against Bahrain ‘foiled’
“There is a foreign plot that has been in the making for at least 20 to 30 years so that the ground is ready for its execution. If it is successful in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, it might spread
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/foreign-plot-against-bahrain-foiled-1.780115

Disgusting Sectarianism: Bahrain’s king thanks Saudi troops for thwarting ‘external plot’
The remarks by Bahrain’s king reflect an effort to pin his country’s recent Shiite-led protests on interference by the Gulf states’ regional adversary, Iran.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/rds2FmMml6w/Bahrain-s-king-thanks-Saudi-troops-for-thwarting-external-plot

Saudi told US of Bahrain intervention: US official
“The United States government was informed about Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Bahrain before it happened, a senior US administration official said.  “We received word that they were planning to head into Bahrain, but not with a significant amount of lead time,” the US official said, asking to remain anonymous.  Earlier, the Pentagon had said that it had received no warning that Saudi troops and others were being deployed to keep a lid on violent protests in the Gulf kingdom.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gb-bd6kd7ayQRpR56KXBeNAnLQ5g?docId=CNG.c19d1813ea36bee1adc0e937cdf564ed.1b1

Sen. John Kerry on Saudi military intervention in Bahrain
“They are not looking for violence in the streets,” the senator said of the Saudi troops moving into Bahrain. “They would like to encourage the king and others to engage in reforms and a dialogue.”  Time quickly proved him wrong. The violence started the next day, and it was not only Iran that blamed Washington. “Where are the Americans, where are the Americans, why are they allowing this, they are killing us with heavy guns, where are the Americans?” shrieked Hussein Muhammad, 37, a bookstore owner and political activist, in a breathless phone call Wednesday from Manama.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/sen-john-kerry-on-saudi-military.html

Protest outside Bahrain embassy in London (AFP)
AFP – Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the Bahraini embassy in London on Saturday in protest at a crackdown on the Gulf kingdom’s pro-democracy movement.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110319/wl_uk_afp/bahrainpoliticsunrestbritaindemo

Bahrainis cannot be subdued for ever
An official from the UAE put it even more bluntly: “We and the Saudis will not accept a Shi’ite government in Bahrain.”  In other words, as far as the GCC countries are concerned, democracy or majority rule can never be allowed there.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/bahrain-saudi-intervention-sectarian-conflict-protests

For Bahrain protest movement, democratic hopes give way to sectarian concerns
Many of the nation’s majority Shiites fear their demands for greater influence in the country will not be met anytime soon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/19/AR2011031903478.html?wprss=rss_world/mideast

Saudi Arabian intervention in Bahrain driven by visceral Sunni fear of Shias
Despite an official stance that the Saudis were there to restore order, the real aim was to crush the rebels. Saudi Arabia and the UAE between them sit on tens of billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art military equipment. They have both backed calls for UN-sponsored “no-fly zones” over Libya. Even if they are now willing to risk their expensive toys against the relatively meagre threat from Colonel Gaddafi’s air defences, they will play a junior role to western forces.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/20/bahrain-saudi-arabia-rebellion

The Saudi intervention in Bahrain will fuel sectarianism, not stifle it | Madeleine Bunting
In Bahrain as elsewhere the uprising began in a spirit of hopeful nationalism. But now religious divides are being exploited. A man in jeans and a jumper is standing in the road, waving his arms in brave defiance as bullets crackle around him. A few seconds later, he crumples and is loaded, bleeding, into a car to be taken to hospital. It’s a few minutes of footage from the streets of Manama in Bahrain and the kind of incident that has become familiar in the last few months of Arab uprisings. But pause a moment, because this image of extraordinary, reckless bravery can become iconic in different ways to its many web audiences. Do we understand all of them?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/20/bahrain-saudi-intervention-religious-divide

When Petro-Dictators Unite: The Bahraini Opposition’s Struggle for Survival
For at least several decades, geopolitical, economic, territorial and ideological considerations have led to serious tensions, if not outright feuds, between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. In recent weeks, however, the regimes of GCC states have shown their citizens that when their authoritarian rule is at stake, they will put aside their differences and put up a united front. Exceptional times, it seems, do call for exceptional measures. As such, the GCC endorsed NSC Resolution 1973–authorizing “all measures necessary” in Libya, including a no-fly zone. Indeed, while some GCC states have agreed to send troops to help overthrow one brutal dictator in Libya, others have already sent their US-trained and armed troops to uphold the rule of another entrenched and equally brutal dictator in Bahrain. But what exactly happens when some of the world’s most oppressive dictators unite, not to fight a well-known regional adversary further up North, but to put down a peaceful and democratic popular uprising?

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/960/when-petro-dictators-unite_the-bahraini-opposition%E2%80%99s-struggle-for-survival

Al-Jazeera covers Bahrain
You may have noticed that Aljazeera, which shows phone video footage from Syria, has not shown video footage or even pictures from Bahrain.  But yesterday, they did cover Bahrain in video.  They showed a very low quality video allegedly showing protesters beating a police man, although I was only able to recognize a human being and a tree.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/al-jazeera-covers-bahrain.html

No Surprise James Zogby Supports Saudi Military Assault On Bahraini Protesters: Careerism And Hypocrisy With Remarkable Consistency
James Zogby has always been enamored with the hydrocarbon Sheiks (“Shakes” as he calls them) of the Arab Gulf states.  His one-man outfit receives financial support from the arrogant and ignorant princes, he maintains friendly relations with the American approved dynasties, and has racked up more frequent flyer miles traveling to the region (often as a propagandist for US Foreign Policy on trips organized by US embassies) than he can redeem in a lifetime.  He has an especially close relationship with the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which includes warm relations with their embassy in Washington and a weekly talk show on the Abu-Dhabi (“Obew-Dobby” as he says) satellite channel which has fewer viewers than the number of Arab countries where it’s available.
http://ikhras.com/2011/03/no-surprise-james-zogby-supports-saudi-military-assault-on-bahraini-protesters-careerism-and-hypocrisy-with-remarkable-consistency/

Saudi Arabia
Saudi Shi’ite protests simmer as Bahrain conflict rages (Reuters)
Reuters – Hundreds of young Shi’ite men marched down a commercial street in the Saudi city of Qatif, near the heart of the kingdom’s oil industry, pounding their fists in anger over their country’s military intervention in Bahrain.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110321/wl_nm/us_saudi_shiites

Saudis gather to demand release of prisoners
Saudi Arabia has warned those seeking reform that protests will not be tolerated, as they violate Koran’s teachings.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/dozens-of-saudis-gather-at-protest-in-riyadh

Saudi protest ends with arrests
Authorities detain about a dozen demonstrators demanding information about loved ones jailed for years without trial.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011320112126999266.html

Syria
Anti-government protests spread in Syrian south
DAMASCUS, March 21 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people demonstrated against the Syrian government in the town of Jassem on Monday, activists said, as unrest spread in southern Syria. “They are staging a sit-in the centre of the town,” one of the activists said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/anti-government-protests-spread-in-syrian-south

The First Martyr In Daraa Mahmoud Al-Jawabreh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_o4xp17k0o&feature=player_embedded

Syrian police fire at protesters, killing 1: activists
DARAA, Syria: Police fired live ammunition and tear gas Sunday at thousands of Syrians protesting in a tense southern city for a third consecutive day, killing one person and signaling that unrest in yet another Arab country is taking root, activists said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126268

Wave of unrest shakes Syria as crowds torch party HQ
Crowds set fire to a headquarters of the ruling Baath Party in the Syrian city of Deraa yesterday, residents said, as the wave of unrest in the Arab world shook even one of its most authoritarian states.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/wave-of-unrest-shakes-syria-as-crowds-torch-party-hq-2247868.html

Syria protesters torch buildings
One person killed as demonstrations in the southern city of Daraa continue for a third straight day.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011320113138901721.html

Syria’s Opposition Divided. Demonstrations Have Different Goals
Steven Starr, a freelance reporter in Damascus and founder of the Near East Quarterly, makes a good point about the lack of any known leadership among the opposition and the diverse regional motivations for the demonstrations. The differing motivations and goals driving each of the protests suggest a lack of coordination. The government can restore control, this would suggest, if it doesn’t defeat itself by responding with too much force and if it listens to the people. This report suggests ongoing trouble: One Reported Shot Dead On Third Day Of Syrian Protest just as a delegation from Damascus arrived in the city to offer condolences for the four deaths the day before. Protesters demanding freedoms and an end to corruption set fire to the headquarters of the ruling Baath Party in the Syrian southern city of Deraa on Sunday.
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=8673&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Syriacomment+%28Syria+Comment%29

Joshua Landis, “Syria: Demonstrations Grow”
Momentum is building for the opposition. The demonstrations are getting bigger with each day. They started out gathering between 100 to 300. Today’s demonstration was well over 1,000 in Deraa. . . . The killing of four in Deraa is new. Many Syrians claim that this is the first time President Assad has drawn blood with the shooting of demonstrators. The Kurdish intifada of 2004 in the Jazeera ended with the death of many but that occurred following the successful constitutional referendum in Iraq and was blamed on external factors. To many Syrians, this time seems different. It is unclear where this can lead as the opposition has no leadership and Syria has no organized parties. . . The top brass of the armed forces are unlikely to abandon the leadership as they did in Tunisia or Egypt; all the same, loyalties would be divided for many. The next few days will be telling.
http://bit.ly/hhCpwv

Other Mideast Protests
Thousands of Moroccans demand change, end to corruption
Despite pledges of comprehensive constitutional reforms by King Mohammad VI, thousands of Moroccans took to the streets in cities nationwide on Sunday raising their demands to more political reforms, including the immediate departure of the government and the end of corruption.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/20/142313.html

Thousands in Beirut rally against sectarianism
BEIRUT: Thousands of protesters congregated in Beirut Sunday calling for the end of “the sectarian regime.”
The march was the third of its kind in less than a month and attracted more than double the numbers seen at the last event on March 6, when some 10,000 were estimated to have hit the streets, organizers said. Beginning at Sassine Square at noon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=126266

Analysis/Op-ed
Bahrain and Yemen declare war on their protesters, Patrick Cockburn
With 42 killed in Sanaa, regimes show they will keep power at any cost
Abrutal counter-revolution is sweeping through the Arabian Peninsula as Bahrain and Yemen both declare war on reform movements and ferociously try to suppress them with armed force. In Yemen police and snipers on rooftops opened fire on Friday on a mass demonstration outside the main university, killing at least 42 people. The government has since declared martial law and set up checkpoints throughout the capital, Sanaa.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bahrain-and-yemen-declare-war-on-their-protesters-2247066.html

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